By Dr. Anne Davis

The Apostle Paul does not want us to be uninformed about the prophetic future that we find in Thessalonians 4:13. We read, “The dead in Christ will rise first,” which is the translation in all the well-known versions of the Bible. However, who are the “dead in Christ”? This is perhaps the most critical question we must answer that Christian teaching has failed to answer.

A common teaching is that all believers in Christ who have died will rise first because “those who are alive” will have to rise second. This event is often combined with the theology of the rapture. Take, for example, an excerpt from an article in Christianity.com.

When Paul is telling the Church of Thessalonica that “the dead in Christ will rise first,” he is referring to the fact that at the Rapture, those who have passed away and placed faith in Jesus before they died will rise first. This will be all of the Christians who placed faith in Jesus prior to His Second Coming.

If we conduct a deep search in the original Greek text, we will find a dramatically different meaning that will significantly affect your Christian life and walk today. So, to understand who will be the “dead in Christ” I will take you to a deeper understanding of the original Koine Greek.

What does it mean to be “in Christ”?

We can all learn what it means to be “in Christ” by using a concordance to discover where that expression appears in the New Testament. I found 16 verses where this phrase is used in the same manner as “in Christ” in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. So, I will begin by explaining my conclusion. Then, once you understand the power of what it means to be “in Christ” I will share some of the verses I discovered. When you read these verses with your new understanding of what it means to be “in Christ”, I think you will be quite excited.

So, let’s begin with what it means to be “in Christ”. I like to explain it in three steps.

1. Start with 2 Corinthians 5:19, where we read, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” We know that “no man has seen God [the Father] at any time because He is Spirit” [John 4:24]. So, what was “in Christ”? It was all the qualities and characteristics of God, who is holy, pure, loving, peaceful, compassionate, gracious, and all that is good and true.
2. Then we turn to Colossians 1:27 where we read that “Christ [is] in you, the hope of glory”. This powerful statement gives us two pieces of information. 

• When you first believed in God’s son the Messiah, God placed in you all His qualities and characteristics. These attributes lie dormant until, and unless, you activate them by your faith in Christ.
• The word translated “hope” in “hope of glory” does not mean maybe but is referring to the absolute certainty of something that will happen in the future. That hope is eternal life with our Righteous God which is the promise of something future.

3. Finally, we come to what it means to be “in Christ.” If (and when) you are “in Christ,” you will be walking as your Lord Yeshua walked, speaking as he spoke, and treating others as he treated them. You will be living as your Lord Jesus Christ lived. Therefore, “the one who says he abides [lives] in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6). That is, if you are metaphorically living in Christ, then it is as if you and Christ have become “one”. Christ will be living in you, and you will be living as he lived.

Verses where “in Christ” Appears

Are you ready now for the exhilaration that you will experience as you read the following verses with your new understanding of what it means to be “in Christ”?

• Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). That is, you are only truly alive when you are “in Christ”. Otherwise, you are living as if you were dead because of your sinful ways.
• There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). There is no judgment for sin if you are in Christ because you will be walking as Jesus Christ walked.
• Now, in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). You cannot draw near to God unless you are “in Christ” by demonstrating a life of righteousness.
• If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). In our current sinful world, we cannot walk as Jesus Christ walked all the time, but fortunately God only sees the heart. When we do walk “in Christ” (called walking by the Spirit), we will be witnessing to the world the new spiritual creation that is a future certainty.

Conclusion to “The dead in Christ will rise first”

Paul tells us that “the dead in Christ will rise first”. Then “we who are alive [in Christ]” will follow. Therefore, when Christ returns it will not be all of God’s people who will be gathered to God’s son, but only those who are “in Christ” by walking and living as he walked and lived. Scripture calls these people a “remnant”.

This does not mean that only a remnant will be saved. Not at all!!  In my 4-part series of books on the remnant, which you can find on Amazon, I explain the role of the remnant and how all of God’s people will eventually be able to come into His righteous presence.

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